1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to information processing apparatuses, information processing methods, and recording media. More particularly, the invention relates to an information processing apparatus which is connected to other information processing apparatuses via an IEEE-1394 serial data bus and which reliably and individually controls built-in sub-units. The invention also pertains to an information processing method used in the above type of information processing apparatus and to a recording medium implementing this method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Audio/visual (AV) machines that can transmit information to each other via a network using an IEEE-1394 serial data bus are being developed. In this network, it is possible to control the AV machines connected to the network by using a predetermined command (AV/C Command Transaction Set). For example, a video picture received by an Integrated Receiver Decoder (IRD) 71 for receiving digital satellite broadcasts can be recorded, as shown in FIG. 1, on a Digital Video Cassette Recorder (DVCR) 81 connected to the IRD 71 via an IEEE-1394 serial data bus 2 (hereinafter simply referred to as the xe2x80x9cbus 2xe2x80x9d). Additionally, what is called xe2x80x9crecording reservationsxe2x80x9d can be made by using the IRD 71 and the DVCR 81.
According to the recording reservation processing, a controller 72 of the IRD 71 controls the IRD 71 and the DVRC 81. More specifically, the recording-reservation settings (channel, recording start time, etc.) are made on the IRD 71, and when the recording start time is reached, the controller 72 of the IRD 71 controls a tuner sub-unit 73 to select the reserved (set) channel and to output a received video signal to the DVCR 81 via the bus 2. Simultaneously, the controller 72 transmits a recording start command to a VCR sub-unit 84 of the DVCR 81 via the bus 2. In response to the recording start command transmitted from the controller 72, the VCR sub-unit 84 of the DVCR 81 records the video signal supplied from the tuner sub-unit 73 on magnetic tape (not shown).
As discussed above, it is possible to control the operation of the DVCR 81 from another machine (in the example shown in FIG. 1, the IRD 71) connected to the DVCR 81 via the bus 2. In this case, there may be a danger that what is called xe2x80x9cdouble-bookingxe2x80x9d occurs.
For example, when a recording reservation (recording reservation A) of a digital satellite broadcast is input into the IRD 71, the reservation information is stored in the controller 72 of the IRD 71. Thereafter, if a recording reservation (recording reservation B) of a terrestrial analog broadcast, which is to be broadcast at the same time as the recording reservation A, is input into the DVCR 81, a controller 82 of the DVCR 81 receives and stores the recording reservation B since the information concerning the recording reservation A input into the IRD 71 has not been reported to the DVCR 81. Thus, upon reaching the time when both the recording reservation A and the recording reservation B are started, video pictures are inconveniently supplied from both the tuner sub-unit 73 of the IRD 71 and an analog tuner block 83 of the DVCR 81 to the VCR sub-unit 84 of the DVCR 81.
The above inconvenience originates from the fact that reservation information managed by an AV machine is not available for another AV machine connected via the bus 2.
In order to overcome the above-described drawback, a CS mode is conventionally provided for the DVCR 81. According to the CS mode, the DVCR 81 is controlled only by the controller 72 of the IRD 71 and enters the recording standby position. After the recording reservation A is input into the IRD 71, the DVCR 81 is set in the CS mode, thereby preventing the occurrence of double-booking.
However, since the DVCR 81 set in the CS mode goes into the reservation standby position, it cannot execute processing, such as reproduction of video signals, thereby decreasing the ease of operation.
Additionally, there is no method for uniquely specifying events, such as recording reservations, transmitted to the bus 2. It is thus necessary to generate a command for each AV machine related to the event, thereby decreasing the ease of operation.
Information (recording start time, etc.) managed by an AV machine is not reported to the other AV machines. Because of this, when the AV machines simultaneously output information to the bus 2, the amount of information may exceed the bandwidth of the bus 2, causing transmission errors to occur.
Accordingly, in view of the above background, it is an object of the present invention to improve the ease of reserve-recording operation and to inhibit the occurrence of double-booking by mutually searching information managed by the individual AV machines connected to a bus.
In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus connected to an external information processing apparatus via a network. The information processing apparatus includes a management unit for managing management information. A generation unit generates, based on first identification information for identifying the management unit and second identification information for identifying the management information within an area managed by the management unit, third identification information for identifying the management information within the network.
The aforementioned information processing apparatus may further include a storage unit for storing the management information in such a manner that the management information is readable by the external information processing apparatus via the network.
The network may be formed by using an IEEE-1394 serial data bus.
The first identification information for identifying the management unit may be a global unique ID.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing method for use in an information processing apparatus connected to an external information processing apparatus via a network. The information processing apparatus includes a management unit for managing management information. The information processing method includes the generation step of generating, based on first identification information for identifying the management unit and second identification information for identifying the management information within an area managed by the management unit, third identification information for identifying the management information within the network.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium for recording a program executable by a computer, the program for controlling an information processing apparatus connected to an external information processing apparatus via a network. The information processing apparatus includes a management unit for managing management information. The program includes the generation step of generating, based on first identification information for identifying the management unit and second identification information for identifying the management information within an area managed by the management unit, third identification information for identifying the management information within the network.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus connected to an external information processing apparatus via a network and including at least one sub-unit for executing a predetermined function. The information processing apparatus includes a generation unit for generating a provisional ID for an event which controls the sub-unit. An extraction unit extracts an event ID of an authenticated event. A comparison unit compares the provisional ID generated by the generation unit with the event ID extracted by the extraction unit. An authentication means authenticates the provisional ID as the event ID according to a comparison result obtained by the comparison unit.
The event ID may uniquely correspond to the event according to an authentication operation performed by the authentication unit.
The network may be formed by an IEEE-1394 serial data bus.
The aforementioned information processing apparatus may further include a combination unit for combining the event ID with a value unique to the information processing. apparatus that has reserved the sub-unit, thereby generating a value unique to the network.
According to a yet further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing method for use in an information processing apparatus connected to an external information processing apparatus via a network and including at least one sub-unit for executing a predetermined function. The information processing method includes a generation step of generating a provisional ID for an event which controls the sub-unit, an extraction step of extracting an event ID of an authenticated event, a comparison step of comparing the provisional ID generated in the generation step with the event ID extracted in the extraction step, and an authentication step of authenticating the provisional ID as the event ID according to a comparison result obtained in the comparison step.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium for recording a program executable by a computer, the program for controlling an information processing apparatus connected to an external information processing apparatus via a network and including at least one sub-unit for executing a predetermined function. The program includes a generation step of generating a provisional ID for an event which controls the sub-unit, an extraction step of extracting an event ID of an authenticated event, a comparison step of comparing the provisional ID generated in the generation step with the event ID extracted in the extraction step, and an authentication step of authenticating the provisional ID as the event ID according to a comparison result obtained in the comparison step.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus connected to an external information processing apparatus via a network and including at least one sub-unit for executing a predetermined function. The information processing apparatus includes a storage unit for storing reservation information concerning a reservation of the sub-unit. A supply unit reads out the reservation information stored in the storage unit and supplies the reservation information to the external information processing apparatus in response to a request from the external information processing apparatus. An addition unit adds identification information to the reservation information of the sub-unit to be stored in the storage unit, the identification information including a value unique to the information processing apparatus that has reserved the sub-unit and a value unique to the reservation of the sub-unit set by the information processing apparatus.
The value unique to the information processing apparatus may be a global unique ID, and the value unique to the reservation may be a record ID.
The aforementioned information processing apparatus may further include an input unit for inputting reservation information concerning the reservation of the sub-unit, a search unit for searching for the identification information corresponding to the reservation information stored in the storage unit, and a setting unit for setting a value which is not stored in the storage unit as a value unique to the reservation information newly input by the input unit and set by the information processing apparatus in accordance with a search result obtained by the search unit.
The aforementioned information processing apparatus may further include a reading unit for reading reservation information stored in a storage unit of the external information processing apparatus when a sub-unit of the external information processing apparatus is reserved, and a writing unit for adding identification information to reservation information of the sub-unit of the external information processing apparatus in accordance with a reading result obtained by the reading unit and for writing the reservation information into the storage unit of the external information processing apparatus, the identification information including a value unique to the information processing apparatus that has reserved the sub-unit of the external information processing apparatus and a value unique to the reservation of the sub-unit of the external information processing apparatus set by the information processing apparatus.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing method for use in an information processing apparatus connected to an external information processing apparatus via a network and including at least one sub-unit for executing a predetermined function. The information processing method includes a storage control step of controlling storage of reservation information concerning a reservation of the sub-unit, a supply step of reading out the reservation information stored by processing of the storage control step and of supplying the reservation information to the external information processing apparatus in response to a request from the external information processing apparatus, and an addition step of adding identification information to the reservation information of the sub-unit to be stored by processing of the storage control step, the identification information including a value unique to the information processing apparatus that has reserved the sub-unit and a value unique to the reservation of the sub-unit set by the information processing apparatus.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium for recording an information processing program executable by a computer, the information processing program for use in an information processing apparatus connected to an external information processing apparatus via a network and including at least one sub-unit for executing a predetermined function. The program includes a storage control step of controlling storage of reservation information concerning a reservation of the sub-unit, a supply step of reading out the reservation information stored by processing of the storage control step and of supplying the reservation information to the external information processing apparatus in response to a request from the external information processing apparatus, and an addition step of adding identification information to the reservation information of the sub-unit to be stored by processing of the storage control step, the identification information including a value unique to the information processing apparatus that has reserved the sub-unit and a value unique to the reservation of the sub-unit set by the information processing apparatus.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus connected to via a network an external information processing apparatus including at least one sub-unit for executing a predetermined function. The information processing apparatus includes a reading unit for reading reservation information concerning a reservation of the sub-unit stored in a storage unit of the external information processing apparatus when the sub-unit of the external information processing apparatus is reserved. A writing unit adds identification information to the reservation information of the sub-unit of the external information processing apparatus in accordance with a reading result obtained by the reading unit and writes the reservation information into the external information processing apparatus, the identification information including a value unique to the information processing apparatus that has reserved the sub-unit of the external information processing apparatus and a value unique to the reservation of the sub-unit set by the information processing apparatus.
The value unique to the information processing apparatus may be a global unique ID, and the value unique to the reservation may be a record ID.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing method for use in an information processing apparatus connected to via a network an external information processing apparatus including at least one sub-unit for executing a predetermined function. The information processing method includes a reading step of reading reservation information concerning a reservation of the sub-unit stored in a storage unit of the external information processing apparatus when the sub-unit of the external information processing apparatus is reserved, and a writing step of adding identification information to the reservation information of the sub-unit of the external information processing apparatus in accordance with a reading result obtained by processing of the reading step and of writing the reservation information into the external information processing apparatus, the identification information. including a value unique to the information processing apparatus that has reserved the sub-unit of the external information processing apparatus and a value unique to the reservation of the sub-unit set by the information processing apparatus.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium for recording an information processing program executable by a computer, the information processing program for use in an information processing apparatus connected to via a network an external information processing apparatus including at least one sub-unit for executing a predetermined function. The program includes a reading step of reading reservation information concerning a reservation of the sub-unit stored in storage unit of the external information processing apparatus when the sub-unit of the external information processing apparatus is reserved, and a writing step of adding identification information to the reservation information of the sub-unit of the external information processing apparatus in accordance with a reading result obtained by processing of the reading step and of writing the reservation information into the external information processing apparatus, the identification information including a value unique to the information processing apparatus that has reserved the sub-unit of the external information processing apparatus and a value unique to the reservation of the sub-unit set by the information processing apparatus.